The perfect insect appears in January and February, and frequents stony situations on the mountains, at elevations of from 2,500 to 4,000 feet. I have taken numerous specimens on the "Mineral Belt," Dun Mountain, but have not yet met with it elsewhere. This insect is probably often mistaken during flight for Notoreas brephos, from which it may easily be distinguished by its larger size, paler colouring, and simple antennæ of the male.
DASYURIS ANCEPS, Butl.
(Fidonia anceps, Butl., Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1877, 392, pl. xliii. 3. Statira anceps, Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 91. Stathmonyma anceps, ib. xviii. 184.)
(Plate [VIII]., fig. 29.)
This species has been taken in the South Island at Mount Arthur, Castle Hill, and Arthur's Pass.
The expansion of the wings is about 1⅛ inches. The fore-wings are bluish-grey; there are four wavy dark grey transverse lines, the three lines nearest the base are double, and the line nearest the termen is shaded towards the base. The hind-wings are pale yellow; there is a small dusky area near the base, then a slightly curved grey line, followed by two curved dark grey lines close together; there is a series of irregular blotches near the termen, and the termen itself is broadly edged with black near the apex of the wing, and narrowly near the tornus. The cilia of all the wings are bluish-grey, barred with dusky black.
The perfect insect appears in January and February, and frequents bare rocky situations on the mountains, at elevations of from 4,000 to 5,000 feet. On one occasion I met with this species very plentifully, though in poor condition, on Mount Peel, near Mount Arthur; but subsequent visits have led me to think that, as a rule, it is rather a scarce species. The bluish-grey colouring of the fore-wings affords this moth a most efficient protection from enemies, whilst resting on the rocky ground which it always frequents.
Apart from special characters, the fainter colouring of this insect will at once distinguish it from any of the numerous allied species.
DASYURIS PARTHENIATA, Gn.
(Dasyuris partheniata, Gn., E. M. M. v. 93; Meyr., Trans. N. Z. Inst. xvi. 92.)